The Hogwarts Express raced down the tracks, leaving a red brick tunnel. The wind teasingly tugged the billowing smoke that escaped its long smoke stack. The green, rolling hills of the British countryside continued on as the landscape slowly bled into the familiar thickening forests and mountainsides that surrounded Hogwarts. Here within the racing train laid one of our familiar heroine's, Karen. Karen laid in one of the train compartments' vast seats, not at all caring that she took up the whole left row. Her cloak was draped loosely around her. Her left arm pillowed under her head with her right arm dangling haphazardly off the side as she snored lightly. Her eyes were tightly closed, taking a long and much needed rest. Her rest was the most peaceful she had had in months. It lacked her more common nightmares, the grabbing hands, the faceless figures, and the vicious shouts of '"Demon!." Being magical wasn't always that magical as she had experienced. Muggles were not always kind to her as years ago, her unknown power and magical misfires had produced a lot of conflict in her early years before her 11th birthday. Instead, she now dreamed of echoing laughter within Hogwarts hallways with friends, flying on her broomstick, winning the house cup, and every magic filled moment that made her smile over the past six years

Suddenly, she was ripped out of her lovely dreams by a sharp tap on her nose. A small, pebble like object had struck her on the nose. Karen scrunched her nose angrily, snarling as she flailed her right arm in a half-hearted attempt to strike whoever had dared to wake her up. After feeling nothing, she groaned and let her arm fall defeated to the floor. Several seconds later she felt another pebble strike her forehead as a cute little giggle echoed in the quiet of her compartment. Karen sat up groggily, still half-asleep. "Who...?" she questioned, before she could complete her inquiry, suddenly another pebble object hit her on the cheek. "HEY!" Karen shouted, red faced and angry. Her eyes flashed with an angry light as she was now fully awakened. "WHOEVER IS DOING THAT," she started before breaking off suddenly. She looked at the person before her, stunned for a moment, before a grin formed on her face, stretching from ear to ear. "MINA!" Karen cried, wrapping her arms around her close friend. Mina chuckled a little at her friend eagerness, "Okay! Okay. You don't have to tackle me!"

Mina Urgenturf was the nicest, most genuine person in all of Hogwarts, and she was Karen's best friend. In fact, she was Karen's only friend until around her second year. Lauren was about as tall as Karen, with bright blonde hair and emerald green eyes that sparkled merrily when exposed to any kind of light. She was a prefect this year and was extremely proud of it, in her own humble, quiet way. Lauren had always been an A student in every subject. This made Karen somewhat jealous at times, even though her own grades weren't that terrible. She knew her pride was the problem and always made sure to shrug it off.. Everybody loved Mina and she had no enemies whatsoever. Not that any enemies would ever exist to harm Lauren, if Karen had anything to do about it. Even some of the creeps in Slytherin didn't mind her, and Karen should know; she had to deal with that lot of idiots on a daily basis.

Karen: Stupid sorting hat...putting me in Slytherin...*grumbles angrily*

DarkSkull43: Um, excuse me. I'm trying to write here.

Karen: Sorry. It's just that Lauren got into Ravenclaw. It's not fair Author! Why am I the one stuck with the crap luck?!

Jerry: *Ambles aimlessly onstage, holding large plate of meat* DUDE! *Sticks large bite in mouth.*Fis meafoaf fis deficiousss! *Gulps loudly* you make this, man? What's in this thing?!

DarkSkull43: *Laughs happily* Well, if you most know, I used... Hey... Wait a minute. GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY KITCHEN! BOTH OF YOU! OUT!

Jerry: Make me! *Brandishes fork threateningly*

DarkSkull43: FINE *Ominous clouds, Cue lightning strike.*

In a random part of the ocean

Jerry suddenly feels a cold shiver slip up his spine. He has just contracted erectile dysfunction.

_
DarkSkull43: Ready to leave yet?

Jerry: *Glares angrily* ...That was just cruel...

DarkSkull43: YOU'RE NOT REAL! GET OUT!

Jerry: (Mutters to himself and waves arms angrily while leaving)

DarkSkull43: You too, Karen.

Karen: Okay! FINE! Sorting hat's still stupid...

DarkSkull43: OUT!

Karen: I'm going! I'm going! You don't have to yell! *Closes door*

DarkSkull43: *Sigh* I hate arguing with myself.

After Karen dressing in her school uniform, Mina and she talked for hours about their summers. Well okay, they talked about Mina's summer most of the time, seeing how Karen's summer involved part-time jobs, sleeping in sketchy areas, and sometimes having to beat the living shit out of undesirables trying to perform VERY undesirable actions on HER, but that's beside the point.

Lauren had once offered Karen to stay at her house, but that turned into a nightmare all on its own. Lauren's family was one of the wealthier families in the wizarding world, not super famous or powerful, but certainly above middle class. Karen first entered Mina's home during her second year at Hogwarts while on winter holiday. Upon entering, she knew that the home was more qualified to be a mansion than a home, and as she looked around, she knew instantly she was going to break something. The main hall was decked out in the colors of Hufflepuff, with bright yellows and dark earthy tones. Most of the Mina's family came from the friendly house. Fine curtains hung atop large windows that looked out upon the Urgenturf's lush gardens. Soft, yet elegant carpets and rugs lie upon the dark hardwood floors, and display cases filled with family pictures, fine china, other antiques, trophies from school, and expensive "knick knacks"(as puts it) lined the hallways. To make a long story short, during that long weekend she had knocked over three display cases, set seven things on fire (including 's hair), flooded the butlers' quarters with two headed rats, and proved that she had no fine dining table manners whatsoever. Even through all of that, the Urgenturf family still welcomed her with open arms and forgave her for her various magical and non-magical mishaps. Unfortunately, the servants were not so patient and forgiving, making a return visit to Lauren's home rather awkward.

Besides, Karen didn't mind city living that much. Sure, she was still on the streets, but it was only for the summer. The fact that she had Hogwarts to look forward to made the summer all the more bearable. Her newfound freedom to practice magic at will was also immensely helpful, as her Trace had been lifted the previous year on her seventeenth birthday. After about three more hours of travel, the train screeched to a halt at the Hogwarts platform. Karen almost leapt out of her seat. There was so much to do, people to talk to, friends to meet up with. She also had to beat the living hell out of the female Slytherin underclassmen, so that they didn't talk behind her back in the dorms. She had already seen the dirty looks shot at her from those who had heard of her and the "disgrace" that she was bringing to her house. Lots of people had tried to put her down, but the angry New Yorker always put them back in their place, unwilling to give into the hatred of others. It was to the point that her fellow upperclassmen went out their way to go around her bed, going as quickly and quietly as they could, in an attempt to not wake the beast.

Once everyone left the train, the older students boarded the carriages and were taken to the castle, as the first years were lead to cross the lake in the traditional fashion. Karen followed the rest of her peers into the castle and to the Great Hall, which even after all these years still astounded Karen with its beauty. The sorting took place after they all gathered. The small, frightened first years stood in line awaiting the decision of their future house. The line soon dwindled until each one had been sorted. The Slytherin house had gotten a rather large amount of interesting first years this year. Of course, Slytherin always had the most interesting individuals, so it wasn't that much of a surprise. After Headmaster Dippet said a few words, the Hall began dinner, which, once again, had the best food Karen had ever eaten. Soon dessert appeared, replacing their delicious meals. Karen dug in without hesitation. As she was about to take a large bite out of particularly good-looking apple tart, her friend Arthur slid into the open seat next to her. Arthur was one of the new Slytherin prefects this year, and a good friend to Karen. He grinned mischievously before reaching over and taking a portion of the tart. Karen yelped and glared. She quickly swatted at his arm before hovering protectively over what was left of the tart. Arthur merely laughed at her antics. "How was your summer, Karen?"

"Oh, you know, the usual street rat thing. How was yours?"

"It was great!" he exclaimed as his eyes lit up with excitement. "Last month, I finally scrounged up enough money for a new broom." He motioned to the special broom bag that was slung over his shoulder.

"Lucky dog!" Karen said, a twinge of jealousy in her voice. "I've been dying to get one of my own; I always have to use the school brooms..."

"Don't you have any money?"

"Does American currency count in the wizarding world?"

Arthur laughed at this. "I suppose not. But I bet that after you graduate, you can get a job in the wizarding world. Have you thought about life after Hogwarts yet?"

"I'm not really sure yet," she replied, looking down at her empty plate. She hadn't really thought much about a future beyond Hogwarts, even though it was her last year. "I was thinking I'd-"

Suddenly, the sound of electricity came from behind the pair. The two turned as an unfortunate Hufflepuff first year whizzed past them, desperately trying to extinguish the green flames that licked at the ends of his robes. Arthur and Karen scowled and stood in unison. Looking for the ones that had caused the trouble, they rushed to the Great Hall's massive entranceway. The pair pulled their wands from within their robes as they witnessed a group of individuals rushing around a corner of a corridor that led away from the Great Hall. The two sprinted off after the group, following the trail of loud snickering and laughter. Meanwhile, another Slytherin prefect went after the frightened first year with a counter curse. Arthur and Karen followed the group down the corridors and onto the massive moving stairways. The two caught up slightly to the group before they reached the top of the stairs where the individuals sprinted off and down another corridor. As soon as Karen and Arthur reached the top the stairway, it started to move. Karen angrily slammed her fist onto the railing of the stairs, as she snarled the name, Ian, viciously. Arthur leaned against the railing, panting as they waited for the stairs to rotate again.

"Ian!" Karen growled. "Why does he always try and get our house in trouble?"

Ian Mathews was, without a doubt in Karen's mind, the most annoying, self-centered asshole in all of Hogwarts. Ian, along with his friends Jay and Vince, basically terrorized everyone, including students from Slytherin house. They had even been known to mess with prefects and had received multiple threats of expulsion. Despite this, there were really only two people that Ian never tried to mess with. First, there was Mina. He had a huge crush on her and would try to act cool and tough, even when he'd be picking on other students. She did not at all appreciate the attention.

Oh yeah, and Karen.

They were terrified of Karen.

"Arthur..."

Arthur looked up and saw that the stairs had come back around. He smiled turning to his friend and froze. He could see the bloodlust in her eyes. His own eyes widened, and he inwardly began to panic.

"Karen, calm down. Please think abo-"

"That broom of yours sure looks heavy..."

"Karen, please reconsider. We can just go tel-"

"What's my 'beating the crap out of Ian' speed record? "

"...53 seconds, but I still thin-"

"Start the timer." And with that, Karen snagged Arthur's new broom out of the case on his back and zipped down the hallway, going so fast that Arthur didn't have a hope of trying to stop her.

Looking dejectedly down the empty corridor, Arthur hung his head,"...I liked that broom..." Arthur then sighed a deep, long sigh and started towards the infirmary, as to warn Madam Pomfrey of the soon to be three person body count.

Meanwhile, Karen zipped down hallways and corridors, very much enjoying herself. Unfortunately for Ian, Karen was one of the best broom riders at Hogwarts and was the best Chaser of the Slytherin quidditch team. Her skills dazzled everyone. She was best known for her ability to stand on her broom for extended periods of time while flying it. The students had affectionately nicknamed her trick "broom surfing". After turning right down another corner, the chaser spotted the idiotic trio.

"Hiya, boys!" she screamed out as she barreled down the hallway after them with a dark smile, "I hope you worked on your cardio this summer!"

Ian and his cronies turned around. Upon seeing the Broom Surfer, they all turned as white as ghosts. They began to run faster, but Karen hopelessly outmatched them on a broom. Karen dismounted her broom, blocking their escape. She hefted the broom over shoulder in a threatening manner, eager to give the boys a taste of karma for their attack on the poor first year. Just as she was about to pounce, a dark streak cut in front of her, making her stop the assault. The streak circled back again before landing on the top of Arthur's broom. Karen whined exasperatedly, "Thoth, can't you see I'm busy?"

Thoth was Karen's owl that she had gotten as a Christmas present from Professor Dumbledore. Although, Thoth was different from the other owls in the sense that while most were brown or snow white, Thoth was pitch black with unusual purple streaks the went down the front of his wings. After cooing a bit and insisting to be pet, (Thoth best loved being petted on his head and neck), he flew up to eye level and dropped an envelope into his master's hands. After doing his job, the dark bird sped down the corridor, retreating back to the Owlery. Karen studied the envelope for a quick second. Finding no address, she ripped it open, and was greeted by a simple note which read:

See me immediately.

- Dumbledore

'Dumbledore? What would the professor want?' Karen thought to herself. 'But that didn't matter,' she thought, 'If he needs to see me, then that's that. After all, he did bring me here...'

"Well, let's see what he wants," she mumbled to herself distractedly.

Dumbledore's Office

Professor Albus Dumbledore was at his desk, getting ready for the mound of papers that needed to be graded for the next day. He picked up his quill ready to begin dissecting the first parchment when a knock at the door disturbed his concentration. "Come in," he shouted, looking up at his new visitor. "Hello?" came Karen's hesitant voice from the half open door. She peered in and saw her favorite professor. A smile stretched across her face, "You needed to see me, sir?"

"Ah, yes. Hello, Karen. How was your summer? I do hope you didn't have any trouble in the city. I really do wish you would have taken my offer to stay with a friend of mine here, close to the school."

"Professor, I'm fine in New York. Really, I am. Besides, I would've been bored out of mind, here. The noise of the city is actually calming for me," she reassured as she walked toward his desk and sat down in the chair across from him.

The old teacher chuckled at this, "You have always been an oddball, here, haven't you." At this, Karen smiled wider, sticking her tongue out, playfully. "You know it!" she laughed. Albus laughed a great big laugh. Then when both had settled down, he proceeded to get out of his chair and pace back and forth behind it, looking down in thought.

"Now, Karen, I didn't call you here just to reminisce about the old days. I called you to ask a favor, an important one at that."

Karen stared at him with a puzzled expression. 'A favor?' "When we found you, when I found you, you were shunned by the rest of the world, an outcast to the muggles. There are many names for people like us. Many, many names." At this she cringed, remembering all the insults.

"Freak!"

"Demon!"

"Be gone, monster!"

"Evil beast!"

She folded her arms together and rubbed them as if it had gotten 40 degrees cooler. Her eyes clouded with sadness, lost in memory. Karen turned pale and tears welled up in her eyes, as she remembered those dark days. Through all that happened, the good and bad, it still shook up her up some days when she could no longer block them from her mind. Yet she refused to succumb completely and did not let her tears fall. As Dumbledore looked up at her, he could see the error he had made and hushed up on the topic. Waving his wand, he made a handkerchief float delicately toward her. Karen reached out and accepted it gratefully.

"Ahem, yes. Well, you can also probably guess that there are people like you in this world, gifted youths shunned for what they could do. I have found one such child recently, living in an orphanage, and needing help. He is alone Karen, so very much alone, and he needs help to get acquainted with this new world, this new life. This is where you come in. If it's not too much to ask, I would like you to tutor the young lad, not just in academics, but in social life as well. I ask you be his role model and his friend, so that he might have an easier transition between worlds than you did. Like I said, I know it is a big decision for you, but I do hope you at least give it a thought. Think about it as one muggle outcast to another."

Karen sat there, thinking about this offer. 'To help someone like me... Now, how could I refuse? If he went through even half of what I went through... Although something doesn't feel right... It's like there's a pit in the bottom of my stomach, like it's telling me it's a bad idea.' She looked down and the horrible memories of abuse and ridicule flooded her mind like a raging river of fire, flowing from the very pits of Hell itself. She remembered the evil looks and the names. 'Oh, God. The names... No. No one should ever have to be subjected to that kind of torture. No matter what my gut tells me, I need to help this person.' "I-I'll do it," she responded quickly, "Where is he? When do I start?"

The concerned professor loomed over his student with worry, wondering if she was truly ready for this venture. He sighed and accepted the determination that shown in her eyes. "Well, he is actually here, if you would like to meet him." Dumbledore turned around with a smile on his face to look at his large bookshelves and called out into the room, "You can come out now." Out of the shadows of the room, came a small, Slytherin first year with ragged, dark hair. He was looking down, obviously shy of his new tutor. Karen stood up and walked over to him. The feeling in her gut tightened as she walked closer. 'There's something strange about this boy, something ominous, but that doesn't matter right now. He needs my help.' "Hi there!" she began, "My name's Karen Lakeview; I'll be helping you get adjusted." Karen smiled, trying to put on the most brilliant, heart-warming smile she could muster. The boy looked up and blushed, becoming ever shyer at the sight of her.

"H-h-hello," the boy finally spoke, stuttering over his words.

"M-m-my name is Tom Riddle. I-It's nice to meet you.